And though he takes the usual jabs at his mom and ex, and reveals the drug abuse, missing is the emotionally raw reaction that we expect him to deliver abut such milestones.

The album's general rhythm is the same as it ever was; only Ludacris sounds the same on every track as Em does here. And though I was slightly disgusted by his molestation material, Insane, neither was I shocked or amused.

You expect Shady to say off-the-wall stuff. But after four years away, you expect the "bad angel who produces great art" to sound refreshed or revived. You can only hear so much about pain-killers, abusive mothers, and the stars he's bagged before even Eminem starts to sound redundant.

But it's not like he didn't warn us. Some online news sources claim the album's title has a double entendre: it's also about Shady "relapsing" back into the mode of his first albums. That's 100% accurate as far as I'm concerned, as the damn thing sounds exactly like his last two albums with no growth. In the burgeoning field of hip-hop where things are moving and shaking, and artists are reinventing the wheel by self-marketing as well as creating their own brand, Eminem came back the same.

The staleness has led the website Giant to suppose that Relapse is part promotional ploy, and that Em's second promised release later this year will be the Detox.

"Maybe we're just conspiracy theorists, but we can't believe that one of rap's GOATs would return just to rant and rave," the site hypothesizes. "We know that Eminem is doper than this and have a suspicion that his marketing genius is about to be revealed too."

Until I get proof that Giant's conspiracy theory is true, I'm passing on Em's next one.

Shakenya Jackson boasts she is among Chicago's finest writers. She enjoys long walks in the park and dirty dishes.